


aurum

by drilbur



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Fluff, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Pining, haechan is a physical manifestation of the sun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26834965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drilbur/pseuds/drilbur
Summary: mark lee thinks he can hold the sun in his bare hands.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 26
Kudos: 158





	aurum

mark’s apartment wasn’t all that amazing to begin with. he could say he had his regular television, an old refrigerator that his parents were willing enough to send off to him because they needed a new one anyway, and a white plastered ceiling above his head. nothing new, nothing special at all. evenings in his one bedroom apartment felt special, though. living on the seventh floor, balcony overlooking a crowded street with small businesses lined up, selling cheap refurbished mobiles and earphones, and fake makeup products wasn’t very exciting to wake up to but when the shimmery golden light of the sun started sinking back into the horizon, that’s when he knew this was the place that was destined for him. the bars on his window cast a rippled shadow onto his newspaper as he sipped scalding coffee from his favorite lion shaped mug.

pushing up the glasses back up to the bridge of his nose, he purses his lips and leans back onto his chair a little and tilts his head back. there was one more reason why mark always thought this place was destined for him. an old radio tune wafted through the air the minute he leaned back, sunlight asking him to squint a little to be comfortable. his lips curl up a little when he hears his favorite voice swirling around like the froth on his steaming coffee, humming a little quietly and singing softly when he seemed to know the lyrics. 

lee donghyuck.

he’s met him twice or thrice. mostly because of the apartment complex’s community meetings that he’s bribed to attend by the committee members chenle and jisung, with their empty promises of running errands for mark. he fell for it once, and he’s vowed to never entertain them again. but that was the first time, of course. until, he recognized what his new neighbour, lee donghyuck has been doing every single evening.

it’s been more than two months since donghyuck has moved in, and mark seems to have unconsciously memorized what donghyuck does in the evenings, like a pavlovian dog. he knows exactly when the sun is drowning round the horizon, donghyuck will step into the bathroom and take a shower that seems to burn his skin off, (it’s the fresh steam that gave it away), and then he will turn on a recorded radio event that sounds retro, even the songs that play on it are songs are that were made before mark was even born. he will listen to it for about seventeen minutes, and then move onto silently clicking away at his laptop for god knows however long. mark once noted that he was clicking at his laptop for a grand total of four hours at a stretch, with only some sneezes and his phone ringing on vibrate sometimes. it was very unsettling.

mark knew that donghyuck went to college. a different one than his, but they both return home at the same time sometimes. mark first caught sight of him while they were taking the same road and he seemed to take a sudden left that led to the apartment building that was right behind mark’s bedroom window. after all the gears clicked in his head, mark was only able to remember the thought that donghyuck was the most insultingly beautiful person he'd ever had the pleasure to witness and bask in. the now pink sun bounces off of donghyuck’s skin as mark subtly watches donghyuck walk with a stack of books in his hand, thinly hidden by the sway of his translucent curtains, huffing a little as his knuckles turn white. the radio is still on, finally changed to a popular station that played bestseller tunes and mark finally slumps back down onto his chair, hood bunched up against his neck.

the first time he talked to lee donghyuck was at the community event when mark was approached by him with a small glass of orange juice in his hand.

“you look clueless.” he had said, tilting his head a little and staring at mark with his big, doe eyes.

“um. it’s my first time being part of such a big gathering, it’s kinda overwhelming.” his ears had burned a scarlet hue, and he didn’t know if he did anything to cover them up.

“did they bribe you too?” donghyuck had smirked a little while taking a small sip from his paper cup. mark shuddered.

“well yeah! they did. oh my god, so i wasn’t the only one. what did they tell you though? i got ‘we’ll buy your milk and eggs whenever you run out.’”

“oh that’s tame. i got ‘we’ll bury that dead body that’s behind you and take the blame, no worries.’” mark had stared in disbelief until donghyuck broke out into a smile and bit his lower lip to look at mark.

“okay but for real, they told me they’ll buy me takeout for like a week and i signed my soul off to the devil. what can i say, i’m a simple man.” mark’s cheeks had lifted and smiled a little at the skittishness. 

he remembers how he had a stray piece of hair dipped in golden glitter tucked behind the crevices of his ear and what his laugh sounded like after the second time that they met. 

donghyuck had hands that were made to create, mark had noticed. his fingers had closed a little around the neck of a water bottle placed in front of him. his fingernails were neatly trimmed and knuckles, calloused around the joints. mark had swallowed quietly, flitting his glances between the association’s head speaking about what improvements they could bring about to the complex and donghyuck’s long fingers playing with the chafed plastic of the bottle cap. the warm air blew through the small window near them. donghyuck’s perfume was intoxicatingly delightful, to say the least. mark wanted to burn himself up in his presence, wake in the drowning depths of his scent, and wrap himself in the burning flames that were boiling him up at the bottom of his stomach. he had prayed donghyuck hadn’t heard his hitched breath then.

a month later, and it makes no sense to mark how he’s completely head over heels for this boy who he’s only seen through the ragged iron grills of his own room, bathed in burnt sunlight, golden expanses of skin on scanty display, honeyed voice swirling through the electric air, and feet leaving golden glitter on his path. but suddenly, it makes all the sense in the world. he wonders what it would feel like to lie on his satin sheets and press his longing lips to corner of his shoulders, watch donghyuck shiver when the sun finally goes down, and take him, and take him all for good, till he’s consumed by the ever-growing and shimmering blaze that’s alight inside of his heart. the itch on his palms felt more real every passing day, to hold raw sunlight, bare and beautiful, watch it unfurl under his fingertips and watch it cry out tunes of glow and amber hue. it wasn’t just a passing thought in his head anymore — it had become a habitual recollection of a unfulfilled dream that he yearned for and wished upon at every angel hour as if the universe would hand over the literal sun to a mere mortal like mark lee.

mark begins staying back at the university’s libraries in his early days instead of coming back home. the clock hits 5:30 and he’s out the big doors with a huff, slinging his backpack over his tired shoulders and blitzing his feet to run to the streets with his apartment. donghyuck comes back home everyday at 5:45 pm, and mark’s bitten heart just wanted that one look at an unfiltered version of donghyuck, to match his pace, and accidentally brush his fingertips and look at him in absolute madness. mark runs in his worn out soles, and slows down when he sees donghyuck with his earphones in, turtleneck pulled up till his chin, transparent glasses sitting behind his ear. donghyuck notices when mark walks up behind him and faces him with a blinding show of smiles.

“fancy seeing you around here, neighbour.” mark pretends to be surprised.

“we’ve been seeing each other in this exact spot for like a week now, but okay.” mark’s heart ceases when he hears donghyuck stifle a quiet laugh to himself. he gets his phone out to pause the song he was listening to, and plugs out his earphones. 

“i was listening to one direction.” he waves the phone in mark’s face with the album cover still on display. mark giggles. donghyuck seems to be more liquid and pliant whenever he’s around mark these days, his laughs getting more and more painful to mark’s tiny little heart, bird in a cage, beating hard enough to fly out towards the sun and get itself burnt in the golden heat.

donghyuck holds mark’s wrist for an infinitesimal amount of time, showing him his phone and telling him what he’s planning on cooking for the night, words buzzed and intoxicating. mark catches a scintilla of a pulse course through him, breath hitched, and eyes fluttering.

“do you wanna be a judge of my wonderful cooking?” donghyuck asks him, the corners of his lips tilted up.

“—what? yeah, uh. sure. lemme know when!” he sputters out.

the sun approves of his response as it casts a shadow of aureate splendor on donghyuck’s face, skin gleaming in the subtle shimmer of the evening heat. donghyuck smiles back at him and bids him farewell near his block and leaves mark to gawk at himself.

mark buys donghyuck some chocolates wrapped in gold foil near his campus and holds them firmly in the grip of his sweaty palms, two days later. he definitely doesn’t stutter after he watches donghyuck’s tongue swirl around the sweetness, jutting out to collect the remnants on his lips. and he definitely doesn’t stutter when donghyuck pushes a wrapped one back into mark’s clenched fist and says, “c’mon, you don’t want to leave all the sweetness with me.” and leaves mark a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

another two days later, mark sits impossibly quiet in his own bedroom, hands tugging on the waistband of his pants with a rush to get to it. he tips his head back the minute his hand touches his growing wetness, rubbing himself through the all the slick. that same quiet voice from the otherside sounds choked now, staccato moans permeating the thin concrete walls that seem non-existent, and mark wishes to the stars again that he could just touch the sun once and not get incinerated in the process. donghyuck sounds so beautiful, so pretty, when he’s all worked up, hand hurriedly moving up and down his lube slicked cock. the wet noises only spur mark to keep going faster himself, and he imagines donghyuck’s bated breath going completely still the minute his mouth wraps around his cock, eyes shining with the same smelt like his evenings in seoul, pulse racing with every half-lidded stare he would give him, lips entangled in scandals, and his hands holding his hips like they were their home. it’s enough to make mark spurt white ropes onto his clenched fist and let out small noises in the pleasure. he shuts his mouth with his other fist, now between his teeth to stifle his moans, but he doesn’t know if he should anymore because he’s sure that his hallucinations didn’t just make him hear a loud and boisterous moan that wrecks donghyuck on the other side at the same time. 

the next time mark meets donghyuck, he has pink dusting on his face and his hair tied messily into a tiny ponytail at the back. it’s almost seven in the evening and the sun had already left the now mauve sky and he looked like angels had showered their miracle glitter upon him. mark tugs on the ends of his sleeves to protect his cold palms from freezing altogether while donghyuck goes on to talk about the endless slew of work that he has to do for his course. mark definitely remembers the incessant clicking noises from his apartment and he wishes in an instant that he could kiss his fingertips better. and then his mind flashes to that day when he heard him break out into the most prettiest sounds that mark has ever heard in his life, hands clenched and pulse wavering. along with him. at the same time. mark wonders what it would be like if he was the one making him feel that way. donghyuck looks bemused when mark doesn’t reply to a question he had supposedly asked.

“hey, mark lee. i’m sure my cooking isn’t  _ that  _ bad.” donghyuck smiles weakly and playfully shoves him at the side. 

“—i’m sorry, i was a bit… up in there. what did you ask me?”

“i asked you,” he steps a bit closer into mark’s space, “if you heard me that night.” donghyuck’s voice drops an octave lower and mark could feel the hair on his arms stand up, he’s sure it’s not the cold wind anymore. donghyuck’s eyes were piercing holes through mark’s face, it felt like he was being seen naked, through all of his perversion, and all of his admiration for him and mark was stupefied in his place, stopping in his tracks. 

“do you wanna come up and watch me cook today?” donghyuck tries again, looking at mark’s bewildered state and this time, the cold doesn’t feel too cold anymore because donghyuck holds his hand through his bunched up sleeve. what is the cold when you could hold the biggest luminary in your hands? and what is mark lee if not an absolute goner for lee donghyuck?

he lets donghyuck grab his arm properly this time, balancing his backpack on one shoulder while also holding onto what seems to be his life right now. when they finally reach his apartment block and donghyuck presses the button for the elevator, mark decides to take his time to feast his eyes on the brilliance before him. the sun was long gone now but when donghyuck was standing right beside him, all he wanted to be was the boy who finally witnessed the sun in all its glory, eyes wide open, and brave. 

“did you—” he coughs. donghyuck looks back at him. “did you really ask me that or was i dreaming?” mark’s voice was shy of a whisper now and he watched donghyuck soften but his eyes dilate in excitement.

“are you always dreaming when you’re with me, mark lee?” 

“you—you’re the dream.” donghyuck seems to be moving in closer to him now, just a little more and he would know what it would feel like to taste impossible beauty.

the elevator dings. donghyuck moves away with a hooded smirk.

when they walk into the elevator, mark feels like his skin is on fire and donghyuck hasn't even touched him yet. he eyes the now lit up number 7 on the button pad and thinks about the last time he thought about donghyuck on the way back home. and he’s snapped out the minute he’s in.

“can i kiss you?” donghyuck asks under the quiet hum of machine parts moving them up. it’s just them, the two of them under a silent spell, staring into the endless voids of each other’s eyes. mark can’t get the words out, he  _ wants _ donghyuck with every fiber in his body, his blood rushing to his cheeks and head, but his brain electrifies him at the last second. the artificial lights of the elevator do no justice to donghyuck’s features, but he does observe the way donghyuck grabs the ends of mark’s sleeves and pulls him closer towards himself. 

“please?”

donghyuck had four tiny moles on his left cheek. like sunspots. he was absolutely mesmerizing in every mortal way that mark could describe him. so, he takes hold of his fingertips and lunges forward for the fall.

when his lips touches donghyuck’s, his legs go weak and mark suddenly doesn’t have blood running through his veins. donghyuck catches every sigh, every ignored moan into the crevices and cracks of his mouth and keeps it like the best secret he’s ever heard and brings his hand up to mark’s cheek to allow him to kiss him deeper. the sun just free falling from the sky was a sight to behold in mark’s eyes. he tastes coffee on his lips, sweet and bitter and he’s lapping it all up like his life depended on it, like his life sustaining elixir. donghyuck seems impatient to relish mark so slowly, he pulls him closer by the waist, hands gripping mark’s waist with a tender grip and putting zero space between them. the elevator dings again, and donghyuck stumbles out with mark pressed close to him, and mark swears his blood runs golden now.

a few months later and mark likes it when donghyuck nips at his lobes over the silver satin sheets that they’re both splayed on top of, the room reeking of hormones and unadulterated sex. he likes it when donghyuck places his head on his chest to feel the barely audible pulse on mark’s pounding chest and places tiny kisses on his neck, just to let him know that he’s alright and alive with him. mark also likes it when donghyuck stays over at his home sometimes, evenings spent in the most heavenly way possible, as he watches donghyuck pull off his shirt one more time under the gleaming evening shower of summer rays and catches mark staring only to smile back like a sly cat. mark likes it when donghyuck croons a little louder when he takes a shower these days, just so mark can talk about it later and make him feel like he’s the only one for him. mark likes it best when donghyuck’s heat permeates him through his raw skin, bleeding pure gold, an angelic aura settled over them in a mellow sundown.

mark feels at peace when the sun sets these days, holding donghyuck in his fingertips and watching him drip absolute wonder into his life.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic for this fandom T_T please go easy on me! i absolutely adore hyuckie and mark together and this was very fun to write <3 thank you so much for reading!  
>    
> let's be friends !!  
> [twt](https://twitter.com/emberhit)


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